What is French cinema? The spring romances of Rohmer? The revolutions of Godard? Beur cinema from the suburbs? Working class life with Jean Gabin? Or the lyricism of Renoir or Bresson?

From this vast garden of delights, Cine Fan explores yet another magical tradition of cinema – the fairy tale brought to life. Not with the sugar of Disney but with the irony and invention that makes older themes new, fresh, and attractive to masters of French cinema. Where elements of magic and duplicity, imagination and morality, poetry and romance commingle in unforgettable visions of life and love.

And why not? In the 17th century Charles Perrault’s Tales of Mother Goose transformed French folk tales into some of the most beloved and widely-shared stories of world literature – Cinderella , Little Red Riding Hood , Sleeping Beauty , Bluebeard , Puss in Boots ; Beauty and the Beast followed in 1740 from the pen Gabrielle- Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. Such stories, once told around hearths and at bedsides, inspired later novels, art, ballets, opéras féeries and films, just as soon as Georges Méliès changed the world with his cinematic magic. Yet, as always, these narratives came with French twists and reflection as well as cinematic flights of fancy. But these are not stories for children…

In this series, the filmic poetry of surrealist master Jean Cocteau shows how the magic of film could meet the magic of the imagination in a tale told through images as much as words. René Clair weaves dreams of love into a ballet of sleep, history and reality while more sardonic questions of fables and outcomes are embodied in Luis Buñuel’s wry vision of the bourgeois universe. Directors project fantasy worlds into space – Laloux – or reduce fables to their metaphoric bones, as did master Louis Malle. And even take romance back into Druidic history, as Eric Rohmer did in his rarely-seen final film. Come along as we join in their magical mystery tours.

NB : In parallel of the programme co-presented with the French May Festival, The HK Cine Fan Programme also dedicates a tribute to Jacques Rivette’s work. Screenings of The Nun (1966) and Paris Belongs To Us (1961) will be taking place in June.

HKIFF CINE FAN PROGRAMME

Financially supported by the Hong Kong Film Development Fund and organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS), a two-year pilot repertory film programme “HKIFF Cine Fan Programme” was launched in April 2013, based at the agnès b. CINEMA at the Hong Kong Arts Centre.

With the aim to enrich and deepen the experience of Hong Kong moviegoers, the programme features a variety of curated contemporary, retrospective and thematic showcases, presenting national cinemas, tributes to masters, digitally restored classics, and genre films while supporting Hong Kong films and film culture. Local and overseas filmmakers and critics are invited regularly to introduce films, attend meet-the-audience sessions, conduct seminars, and join panel discussions to facilitate cultural exchange across borders.